Seneca
Village existed from 1825 through 1857. It was
located between 82nd and 89th Streets and Seventh
and Eighth Avenues. Today, this area is part
of Central Park.

Seneca
Village was Manhattan's first significant community
of African American property owners. By the
1840s, it had become a multi-ethnic community
African Americans, Irish, and German immigrants,
and perhaps a few Native Americans. In 1855,
the New York State Census reported approximately
264 individuals living in the village. There
were three churches, as well as a school and
several cemeteries. Within two years, Seneca
Village would be razed and its identity erased
by the creation of Central Park.

Seneca Village in 1856,
as interpreted and illustrated in a Topographical
Survey
for the Grounds of Central Park by Egbert
Viele.